Missouri Botanical 
Garden Bulletin 
ALUMNI NUMBER 
Vol. IV St. Louis, Mo., March, 1916 No. 3 
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 
OF THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 
It is with much joy and extreme gratification that I con- 
tribute these lines to the first official publication of the Mis- 
souri Botanical Garden Alumni Association. This number 
opens a new era for the Alumni Association, and demon- 
strates clearly that the organization has various distinct fune- 
tions to perform. It is still in its infancy, and if it is to be a 
success must have the continued coéperation of all who have 
so generously responded to the first call. Every graduate 
should be a member of the Association, for he will in some 
way benefit by it. A friend of mine and a well-known horti- 
cultural writer recently made the following statement with 
reference to affiliation with a certain national society : 
“If advancement is to be made the man of to-morrow must be 
better than the man of yesterday or the man of to-day; if not, 
his efficiency and his chance for success will measure low in com- 
parison with the standards set by, his more intelligent and progres- 
sive fellows, To a young man imbued with the right purpose and 
spirit to go ahead, affiliation with an organization which can count 
in its ranks the leading men in their class, as our great national 
society unquestionably does, cannot but serve as a healthy stimulant 
and practical helper.” 
I like to feel this way about our organization, which, al- 
though young, has already shown that the men who were re- 
sponsible for bringing it into life had a broad vision. If the 
Association has done nothing else, it has at least brought the 
graduates of the Garden course into closer contact, and it has 
familiarized them with the work and the wonderful progress 
that has been made at the institution where they spent four of 
the best years of their lives. 
The alphabetical list of the graduates contained in this is- 
sue should be of value to all members of the Association, for 
it not only shows where and in what lines of work the men 
are engaged, but also proves that the men who have gradu- 
ated from this course are among the leaders in all lines of hor- 
(49) 
